12-28-2003, 03:51 AM
<b>Soniaâs Mumbai visit and Cong gets a one crore deficit</b>
MUMBAI: Sonia Gandhi's mega rally at Shivaji Park on Saturday is expected to run up such a huge bill that creditors will soon line up outside Congress offices in Mumbai. An estimated Rs 1 crore has been spent on the rally.
As Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) head Gurudas Kamat told party workers to ``show their appreciation'' on their leader's visit, many borrowed funds to make the show a grand success.
Sources say the flower-bedecked stage alone has cost the party about Rs 6 lakh. Add to that the cost of carting party-workers across Maharashtra to the venue, and the bill will just keep mounting. Enthusiastic activists had also plastered the city with over 5 lakh banners and hoardings.
Faced with a cash crunch and with sympathisers shying away from donating to party coffers, the MRCC had no option but to encourage office-bearers to bring in the bucks for the rally.
Kamat has refused to say how much was spent on the rally. ``<b>It is difficult to quantify the cost since individual party workers are handling the expenses</b>. We have not counted the number of banners or hoardings, but ward presidents and other office-bearers are competing with each other to make this rally a thumping success. I had asked them to spare no effort or cost,'' he said.
But as Sonia boards her return flight to Delhi, creditors fear the Congress may just forget to pay up as it has done in the past. Bills for the Congress president's Nashik rally in May 1998 and at Beed in October this year are still pending, despite repeated reminders to party bosses.
<b>At the 1998 rally, Sonia was presented with silver gift items bought from a prominent jeweller in Nashik. While the bills for the items bought on May 6, 1998 amounted to Rs 50,299, the party has so far paid Rs 36,750 only.</b>
<b>On October 3, 1998, party leaders bought silver items worth Rs 9,290 from the same jeweller as gifts for late Madhavrao Scindia, who was the then AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra. The bills are still pending.
``The jeweller had written numerous letters to the then MPCC chief but the bill is still outstanding,'' said a source.</b>
The funds crunch and the party's efforts to raise finances had resulted in MPCC president Ranjeet Deshmukh issuing a diktat some months ago that <b>``action would be taken'' against ministers, elected representatives and office-bearers if they did not attract party donors as prescribed by the Manmohan Singh Committee Report</b>
MUMBAI: Sonia Gandhi's mega rally at Shivaji Park on Saturday is expected to run up such a huge bill that creditors will soon line up outside Congress offices in Mumbai. An estimated Rs 1 crore has been spent on the rally.
As Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) head Gurudas Kamat told party workers to ``show their appreciation'' on their leader's visit, many borrowed funds to make the show a grand success.
Sources say the flower-bedecked stage alone has cost the party about Rs 6 lakh. Add to that the cost of carting party-workers across Maharashtra to the venue, and the bill will just keep mounting. Enthusiastic activists had also plastered the city with over 5 lakh banners and hoardings.
Faced with a cash crunch and with sympathisers shying away from donating to party coffers, the MRCC had no option but to encourage office-bearers to bring in the bucks for the rally.
Kamat has refused to say how much was spent on the rally. ``<b>It is difficult to quantify the cost since individual party workers are handling the expenses</b>. We have not counted the number of banners or hoardings, but ward presidents and other office-bearers are competing with each other to make this rally a thumping success. I had asked them to spare no effort or cost,'' he said.
But as Sonia boards her return flight to Delhi, creditors fear the Congress may just forget to pay up as it has done in the past. Bills for the Congress president's Nashik rally in May 1998 and at Beed in October this year are still pending, despite repeated reminders to party bosses.
<b>At the 1998 rally, Sonia was presented with silver gift items bought from a prominent jeweller in Nashik. While the bills for the items bought on May 6, 1998 amounted to Rs 50,299, the party has so far paid Rs 36,750 only.</b>
<b>On October 3, 1998, party leaders bought silver items worth Rs 9,290 from the same jeweller as gifts for late Madhavrao Scindia, who was the then AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra. The bills are still pending.
``The jeweller had written numerous letters to the then MPCC chief but the bill is still outstanding,'' said a source.</b>
The funds crunch and the party's efforts to raise finances had resulted in MPCC president Ranjeet Deshmukh issuing a diktat some months ago that <b>``action would be taken'' against ministers, elected representatives and office-bearers if they did not attract party donors as prescribed by the Manmohan Singh Committee Report</b>